New 'Look, Say, Sing, Play' NSPCC campaign to help parents bond with their newborns during lockdown launches in Sheffield

The Look, Say, Sing, Play campaign offers parents advice, tips, and recommends activities for creating a bond in those vital early weeks, at a time when the usual support - from baby groups, friends and family - is unavailable.

The campaign, which is being piloted in six locations across the UK, including Sheffield, aims to empower and highlight to parents the brain-building benefits that everyday moments such as singing and playing with your child can have.

NSPCC head of local campaigns, Helen Westerman, who hosted the virtual focus group, said: “After weeks of no baby groups, soft play, playgrounds or seeing friends and family, the parents and early years practitioner we spoke to were understandably worried about their children’s development, so it’s fantastic to hear that the Look, Say, Sing, Play tips have reassured and helped the parents keep their children entertained during this unsettling time.

“We have had great success with Look, Say, Sing, Play during the pilot with more than 19,000 parents signing-up, and we’re now excited to share the resources with families across the UK.

“The tips are all about the fun you can have with what’s lying around the house rather than having expensive toys or gadgets; or adding to the list of things parents already have to do.”

Last year, an NSPCC survey of more than 2,000 parents and expectant parents revealed that 62 per cent were unaware that the interactions with their new baby in moments such as playing, singing or story time can be brain-building ones.

To coincide with the launch, the NSPCC has produced a series of short, weekly YouTube videos showing mums and dads at home trying out the Look, Say, Sing, Play tips with their little ones, using only what they can find around the house.

It also explains how each fun task helps their child’s brain to develop.

Karis, a mum of two from Yorkshire, has been using the tips with her seven-month-old son Huxley and two-year-old daughter Lyra.

She said: “The brain science behind the activities was completely new to me and it has definitely changed the way I parent.

“I have been using the tips with Huxley since he was born and I noticed he started clapping and crawling a lot earlier than Lyra did.

“This may be a coincidence but I didn’t do these sorts of activities with Lyra until she was a bit older.”

The charity has also teamed up with Vroom to produce a series of ‘calm and connect’ tips that are aimed at helping parents manage emotions during difficult times.

Parents can sign-up to get weekly tips via the NSPCC website. Each one will include a fun, age-appropriate tip which they can easily fit into their daily routine.